Embers in the Fireplace
by Fadingspirit
Summary: Tears were streaming down her face, she was laughing so hard. Ember smothered a giggle. She was trying to imagine Harry with his head stuck in a toilet, and it as just too hard to keep a straight face.


Ember crept into the bathroom. She quietly sat down on the floor in the corner. Her eyes closed and Ember felt the tears slide down her cheeks. She sniffed quietly.

Ember wrapped her arms around her small, pale body. She was shaking, she knew she couldn't go back out there. Harry hated her, but then, she hated herself. She knew no one would look for her. Harry was her only friend and now he was gone too.

Ember thought back to when they met, as she replayed the moment in her mind she realized that meeting Harry was her happiest memory, the best thing that had ever happened to her.

 _(Flashback)_

 _Ember sat down on a swing. The playground was filled with joyous laughter, it seemed everyone had a smile on their face, but not Ember. She closed her eyes. Ember felt the tears wet her cheeks._

 _Ember's eyes flew open to the touch of a hand. Her eyes met a familiar pair of green eyes. Ember's hand flew to her mouth. The eyes, of the boy in front of her, they were her eyes. The boy gasped._

 _"Hi." He stuttered. He was rather cute. He had unruly black hair, and of course green eyes._

 _"Um, hi." Ember said. "You look like me." The two said at the same time. The boy grinned._

 _"Sorry, my name is Harry, Harry Potter." He said. Ember smiled back._

 _"Ember Times." She replied._

 _(End flashback)_

Ember smiled through her tears. She heard footsteps coming towards the bathroom. Ember slowly ducked into the shadows as the bathroom door opened. A girl stepped inside.

"Ember Times?" she asked. Ember slowly slunk out of hiding, knowing she had been discovered.

"What?" she asked. The girl jumped at the sound of Ember's voice.

"Professor Dumbledore wishes to speak to you."

"What's your name?" The girl was probably a first or second year, Ember decided.

"Lyra."

"Well Lyra, you can tell Professor Dumbledore that Ember wishes to be alone and will not be complying to his request."

Lyra looked terrified. "But, Professor Dumbledore will be angry." Ember snorted.

"Professor Dumbledore's never angry."

Lyra left a moment later. Ember sighed. She crouched down in the corner once more. Her body swallowed by darkness. The bathroom was dark, the candles were all out.

Ember knew she shouldn't have been so rude to Lyra, but she just wasn't in the mood to talk to Dumbledore. She heard the bathroom door open once more.

"Lyra, go away." Ember demanded.

"Miss Times." Dumbledore's voice reached Ember and she stiffened. She refused to turn around.

"Miss Times, please, I only wish to speak to you." Ember refused to answer, but Dumbledore could hear her sobs.

"You ruined everything." Her voice was barely more than a whisper. Dumbledore conjured a chair and sat down.

"You turned Harry against me." She paused. "He was my only friend." Ember turned around, so that she had her back to Dumbledore. She leaned forward so her forehead was touching the wall, and sighed.

"Miss Times, I will be here to talk to if you ever need something."

Ember let out a small laugh. It was an odd sound. Ember tried to remember the last time she had laughed. She'd been with Harry of course. He had been ranting about how much he hated Snape, then he had said something about Snape's greasy hair and Malfoy. Ember giggled at the thought.

A sudden noise in the bathroom dragged Ember back into reality. Ember looked around, searching for the noise's source, and found Dumbledore to be doing the same.

A trickle of water creeped out of a stall. Ember watched as Dumbledore walked over to it and pushed the stall door open. Moaning Myrtle was hovering above the toilet, hand over her mouth, trying to smother her giggles.

"Myrtle, may I ask what you're doing here?" Dumbledore asked, very politely. Of course.

"I was just in my bathroom, when a boy came in. He said his name was Harry Potter. He started crying like crazy, I tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. I asked him why he was crying and he said he felt bad about saying some stuff to some girl. I don't remember her name though. She used to come into my bathroom with the boy. And then...then the boy fell into the loo, head first." Myrtle couldn't control her giggles.

"It was so funny, you should have seen his face." She cried.

Tears were streaming down her face, she was laughing so hard. Ember smothered a giggle. She was trying to imagine Harry with his head stuck in a toilet, and it as just too hard to keep a straight face.

Dumbledore turned to look at Ember, an amused look on his face.

"I suppose I should check on Harry, but I will send someone else to do it for me." Dumbledore said. He shot a pointed look at Ember, and she felt a breath catch in her throat. He was sending her to go and check on Harry! Ember shook her head.

"Miss Times, please go and check on Mr. Potter."


End file.
